CIPD urges employers to do more to support employees with long Covid
AS long Covid becomes more widespread and understood, the Chartered Institute of Personnel & Development (CIPD), the professional body for HR and people development, is urging employers to review their health and wellbeing strategies to ensure they are supporting employees with long covid.
One in ten people with Covid experience symptoms for 12 weeks or longer, and almost half (46%) of UK employers have staff who have experienced long Covid in the last year. One in four employers are now reporting long Covid as one of the main causes of long-term sickness absence.
The symptoms are wide and varied. The three most commonly-reported symptoms are fatigue, breathing issues and cognitive dysfunction, which can include memory loss, brain fog and concentration difficulties, and slurred speech.
Other common symptoms, which can overlap and fluctuate over time, include depression and anxiety, insomnia, chest pain, headaches, sore throat, loss of taste and smell, vertigo, and muscle and joint pain.
A new CIPD report, Working with long Covid, has useful tips to help individuals, organisations, teams and line managers to support employees with long Covid to return to work, and importantly to stay in work productively and safely, and to help individuals to manage their symptoms and thrive at work.
Many of the recommendations are around training and communication, making adjustments such as managing workloads and offering flexible and gradual return-to-work patterns, and ensuring that people have ongoing support from colleagues and managers.
Lee Ann Panglea, Head of the CIPD in Scotland and Northern Ireland said: “Long Covid is a growing issue, affecting a significant percentage of the working population.
“As businesses are working hard to build-back after the pandemic, we would urge employers to do more to give their employees as much support as they need to get back to work, and importantly to stay in work, otherwise they risk losing valuable workers.”
Rachel Suff, senior policy adviser for employment relations at the CIPD said: “Employers should ensure they have a supportive and inclusive culture that helps employees feel confident to discuss a health condition and ask for support or helpful changes when needed, such as a phased return or flexible working arrangements.
“Line managers should be given training and guidance on how to support members of their team with the condition, including how to facilitate a successful return to work following illness.
“Managers should bear in mind that employees might be reluctant to discuss ongoing health symptoms, so should check-in with their team regularly and ensure there are opportunities for them to flag any issues.”
The full report with recommendations for individuals, employers, teams and line managers is available to download from www.cipd.co.uk
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